February 2012
19 posts
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“To add a library to a house is to give that house a soul.”
– Marcus Tullius Cicero
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Marriage Records Video and Ancestry Day in...
Our ancestors got married and we get the gift. Marriage records can include details that can spur our research back in time, but even beyond the names and dates, our ancestors’ weddings marked a big turning point in their lives. I often wonder about their stories. How did they meet? What kind of wedding did they have? Who stood up in their wedding? I know the answers and have some great stories...
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Mysteries and other stories in the family tree
By Juliana Smith
Marissa Tomei’s journey into the past on last night’s episode of Who Do You Think You Are? (Fridays 8/7c on NBC) centered on the untimely death of her great-grandfather. At the start, he was little more than a name in the family tree and the subject of speculation—of the shadiest type. But his reputation got a makeover once Tomei dug into his story.
That’s the wonderful part about...
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Don't miss Marisa Tomei on tonight's "Who Do You...
On this week’s episode of Who Do You Think You Are? award-winning actress Marisa Tomei searches for the truth behind her great-grandfather’s rumored murder. Learn what she uncovers and how getting a look at the big picture changes an entire generation’s view of one hardworking man in the family tree. Ancestry.com is a sponsor of Who Do You Think You Are?, which airs Friday nights at 8/7c on NBC....
“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget...”
– Maya Angelou
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Freedman’s Bank Records, 1865-1874
The year 1865 found many African American Civil War veterans and ex-slaves with a little money in their pockets and there was a need for an institution where they could start a savings account. The Freedman’s Savings and Trust Company (often referred to as the Freedman’s Bank) was incorporated on 03 March 1865 to meet that need. Unfortunately mismanagement and fraud led to the failure of that...
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Ask Ancestry Anne: Was my ancestor in...
Question: My great grandfather served in the Civil War and was a prisoner at Andersonville. However, I am unable to find him when I search the archives using his name and Andersonville. His name was John Aziza Jones born April 22, 1840 died May 10, 1941. Can you help?
-Sandy
Answer: First, I looked for John in the 1930 census – it’s the most recent one available and it lists if a man is a...
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Your Story: Visit to a Nursing Home Pays Off
We wanted to know who had been putting flowers on my husband’s granduncle’s grave. We first tried to contact the person by putting a note on some silk flowers and leaving it at the gravesite, but we received no response. On Memorial Day we decided we would wait at the grave to see if the person would arrive. Then we discovered we were too late – she had already been there and gone.
We made some...
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“Believe you can and you’re halfway there.”
– Theodore Roosevelt
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Twists of fate in the family tree on Who Do You...
When you start down a road in your family’s history, you never know whose paths may have crossed in the past. Actor Martin Sheen found that out on the first episode of this season of Who Do You Think You Are?. In a mind-bending twist of fate, he learned that a great-great-great-great-grandfather on his grandmother’s side and a great-great-great-great-grandmother on his grandfather’s side had a...
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WatchAncestry.com LIVE @ RootsTech 2012: Watch It Live for Free!
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"To My Old Master"
Sometimes you find a historical record that just leaves you speechless. Ed Cardinal shared a link with me this week that took me to one such record. It’s posted on a website called Letters of Note: Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience. The document is a letter written by a former slave to his master in response to a request from said master to return to work for him. As we mark the start...
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January 2012
31 posts
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Clues on the Backs of Old Photographs
I finally decided to get busy and put some family pictures into my tree on Ancestry.com. I found a box shoved way back on a shelf that was labeled as pictures from my mother’s side. It turned out to be a treasure trove, because my mother and her mother had taken the time to write on each and every one of them who was who. I was finally able to piece together how certain people we had...
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Irish Historical Railroad Project
Although I have used Ancestry.com for my family research, my most recent usage has been in conjunction with a local history research project. In the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia from 1850-1858 nearly 2000 Irish immigrants workers and families labored to complete the Blue Ridge Railroad over the mountains. A small local group has been working for several years to document these Irish...
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5 Tips for Searching on Ancestry.com
Ancestry.com has spent the past fifteen years developing search technology that can help you find your ancestors in its vast collections. Here are five tips that will help you make the most of that technology.
1. Start with Three When you’re searching on Ancestry.com, there are two search form options—basic and advanced. You can toggle between the two by clicking Show Advanced and Hide Advanced...
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“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed, is more important than...”
– Abraham Lincoln 